Maid For You 3

Chapter 72

"Ha ha," Mercucio said, rolling his eyes. He wore a powder blue suit with a floral tie—he always somehow managed to pull off unconventional colors. "I'm not going to lie," he started. "Though admittedly good looking, I thought your beaux up there was about as interesting as watching paint dry."

I grimaced.

"But!" he argued. "I'll give you this, he's a good singer. He makes good expressions up there. I almost wouldn't think he was the same sulky dude with you at the debutante ball."

"He is a great musician," I said. "And he was just a little off at the ball. He normally isn't like that. I think he's just a bit reserved with strangers."

"Me?" he asked. "A stranger to him? Your butler and I seen each other many times, you know."

"It's different," I said.

Merc shrugged. "I guess so." He looked at Luke and laughed. "Man, I really had no idea he was musically gifted at all. Maybe I'll recruit him for a party or something, who knows?"

My heart leapt at that idea. What if he did? Mercucio's family was the richest in the country and held a lot of clout! It would be great for Luke to secure more jobs, wouldn't it?! Then again, I wasn't Luke's agent—he could make his own decisions. He wasn't crazy about my interference last time.

"Well, if you really ever do want to," I said. "I can always give you his contact information." There, I thought. That way, Luke could be the one to say yes or no.

"I might just hit you up on that," Merc grinned. The party continued, and I was able to finally talk to Madeline again about ten or fifteen minutes away from midnight.

"This party is wonderful," I told her.

"Of course it is," she answered. "I learned from the best. Which is my mother."

I beamed. "Well color me impressed."

She smiled. "Your boyfriend has been very good this evening," she told me. "Multiple people have asked me where I found him."

"Really?" My eyes widened excitedly.

"Indeed," she answered. "It's not a bad way for him to start off his New Year."

"This makes me so happy!" I cried. "I really hope this is the start of something for him."

"He's lucky to have you," she said. "I wouldn't have given a no-namer like him a chance if it wasn't for you."

I smiled awkwardly. "Well, hopefully after tonight, he won't be a no-namer anymore." I looked back up at the podium stand, hoping to catch Luke's eye, when my eyes caught on something surprising. Lord Roiben was walking up onto the stand. "What's Roiben doing?" I asked Madeline. Her head whipped to the stage in surprise.

"I have no idea," she said, staring at the scene curiously. Lord Roiben tapped Luke on the shoulder who smiled and stopped playing his guitar. He stepped to the side to allow Roiben to take the mic. "What is Roiben doing?" Madeline scowled through clenched teeth. "I swear if he sabotages my party..."

But as I looked around the room, I noticed that Madeline's parents had walked in, along with her sister Lucille who had Princess Calista walking with her.

"Hello," Lord Roiben spoke into the microphone, and music from all over the palace quieted down and people hushed their chatter. "My name is Roiben Clifford. Could I have Madeline Rylin to the stage?"

"What is he doing?" Madeline hissed to me before warily weaving her way towards the front of the room and joining Roiben on the stage. She looked quite alarmed before plastering on a fake smile.

"First of all," Roiben said as people were shuffling into the room. "Can we have a round of applause for Madeline for planning this party?"

The room broke into clapping, and I finally made eye contact with Luke who was now standing next to the stage on the side. He winked at me—he must have known what was going on. Did that servant lady instruct him?

A camera flashed—the party's photographer was here taking pictures, and I had a guess as to what was coming. With shaking hands, I clamored to get my phone out of my clutch so I could record what was going on. In a party full of nobles, people were too classy to get out their phones and record, but of course I wasn't nobility.

Roiben took the microphone from the stand, turned away from the audience and looked straight at Madeline, who still looked a little confused. "Maddie," he said, his voice soft. "I admit, I didn't just call you up here to commend you on your party planning skills." He took a deep breath. "I want you to know how much I love you, Madeline. I always have, and I always will. You are bold and confident and beautiful, and you're everything that I could ever want in a woman, in a wife."

I had to resist the urge to clasp my hand over my mouth as I was recording this exciting moment, but Madeline herself placed a hand on her mouth, her eyes wide. Roiben stuck the microphone back in its stand and tilted it downward before slowly lowering down onto one knee while he fished out a small box in his pocket, and at this point all the noble politeness couldn't contain the excited whispers. I caught Lucille and Calista in the corner of my eye clasping each other's hands excitedly. Now both hands were over Madeline's mouth and nose.

"Madeline Noelle Rylin," Roiben said, opening the box to reveal a glittering diamond ring. "Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

She didn't say anything for a second, until she burst out into tears and cried, "Yes!" Roiben's face lit up in a way that I had didn't think was possible from him and Madeline let out a broken laugh choked by tears as the room erupted into cheers and clapping. Roiben slipped the diamond ring on her fourth finger before leaping up to kiss her.

"Oh my goodness!" I was squealing. When their kiss broke, Madeline looked very sheepish and covered her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said into the microphone, a huge smile on her face. "I just hate it when people see me cry." Roiben was beaming and he wrapped Madeline in a hug and she buried her head on his shoulder, though we could all still see her smile. She quickly lifted her head, however, and with sparkling, tear-filled eyes she wore perhaps the biggest smile I'd ever seen from her and she laughed happily. My heart felt so full and happy from the beautiful sight. At some point during the proposal, the clock had struck 12:00 and we had entered into the New Year, but I thought that this was perhaps the best way it could have started.